Dates Apr 26–May 8, 2008
Leaders Akos Hivekovics
and Joe Van Os
Fee $6,295 from Budapest, Hungary
Includes internal tour airfare
Deposit $400
Limit 12
Terms and Conditions

Situated in the basin enclosed by the Carpathian Mountains and the eastern end of the Alps, Hungary is slightly smaller than the State of Indiana— measuring 300 miles from east to west and 150 miles from north to south. In marked contrast to Romania, its eastern neighbor, Hungary is predominantly a lowland country, landlocked and highly cultivated. Today, its traditional, picturesque and bucolic landscapes are maintained by the combined efforts of traditional farming practices and increasing nature conservation.

Hungary’s great natural wealth comes from the numerous wetland areas found in its lowlands— including many steppe lakes and marshes and man-made farm ponds—that are ecologically essential for "eastern" Europe’s wildlife, especially birds. In fact, Hungary’s Hortobágy National Park and Biosphere Reserve is the most important area
for wintering geese in all of Europe! Many thousands of geese, cranes, ducks and other waterbirds, use this area as a major migratory stopover location.

The country is also rich in photogenic architecture from its spectacular Gothic Revival style Parliament Building in Budapest to its charming rural hamlets and farms reminiscent of the idealized landscape paintings of the nineteenth century.

Our tour offers photographers a wonderful chance to concentrate on photographing many of Hungary’s colorful birds using a series of wellplaced blinds (hides) and long lenses. Sited at artificial water holes in the dry Hungarian steppe, these blinds provide access to many hundreds of landbirds that come to drink in this parched semidesert
habitat—beautifully reflected in the still water. Other blinds provide access to a large colony of Mediterranean gulls and a nearby mixed-species heronry. In addition to the birds, our trip coincides with the start of the wildflower bloom. Within attractive verdant old-growth beech forest we will seek out orchids and lilies with the help of a local botanist and also create graphic images of these gnarled and revered trees that are rapidly disappearing from much of the European countryside.

It will be impossible to pass some of the beautifully preserved rural villages and their friendly inhabitants without photographing them. Cosmopolitan Budapest, known as the "Pearl of the Danube," will also be on our agenda as we spend a full day exploring this remarkably photogenic city with our cameras. The Aggtelek National Park provides photo access to one of the world’s most incredible geologic formations and Europe’s largest stalactite caves. Deep inside the earth we’ll shoot the incredible floodlit formations of this amazing World Heritage Site. We’ll dedicate some time to photographing the iconic draw wells of the Hungarian Puszta at Hortobágy National Park. Here at this windswept park located on the Great Hungarian Plain we’ll find a wealth of birds The Hortobágy region was settled by early Neolithic times and has been used
almost continuously for grazing livestock. Today traditional breeds of Hungarian grey cattle, racka sheep and mangalica pigs are still kept for gene preservation and make great photo subjects in this pastoral environment.

Our final photo shoots take place across the Romanian border in the Transylvania region. Here, using special blinds, we’ll seek extremely rare and shy Carpathian brown bears that frequent secluded private feeding stations. Diminished by severe hunting pressures, these magnificent animals may slowly be gaining in numbers. This is a wonderful opportunity never before offered within an organized photo tour!



Day 1
Depart from home.

Day 2 (Apr 27)
Arrive in Budapest and enjoy a welcome dinner and orientation. (D)

Day 3
A full day of photography in Budapest. Locations may include the Castle District, St. István Basilica, the Parliament building, Fisherman’s Bastion and Heroes Square. Just before sunset, we drive to a higher elevation to view the city lights and the Erzsebet Bridge. We’ll conclude our day with a twohour dinner cruise on the Danube. (BLD)

Day 4
Traveling along the Danube River, we stop for photography. This afternoon, we descend into the caves of Aggtelek Karst for an afternoon shoot. (BLD)

Day 5
An old-growth beech forest is our focus this morning. Afternoon tour of the different bird blinds we’ll be using—and the opportunities each offers. (BLD)

Days 6–7
We begin our days before sunrise. Some of us will photograph birds from half-submerged blinds for some great eye-level shots. Others will shoot from a 40-foot tower, specifi- cally designed to photograph birds in the tree canopy. We’ll rotate everyone from blind to blind. (BLD)

Day 8
This morning we’ll finish our photography at the blinds and drive to Hortobágy National Park. We’ll stay in the village of Hortobágy. By oxcart we’ll venture out onto the Puszta at dusk to watch traditionally dressed Csikos (Hungarian cowboys) display their horsemanship. (BLD)

Day 9
Today is spent photographing icons of the Puszta: draw-well silhouettes at sunrise, traditional Hungarian livestock, and geese in flight with draw wells as a backdrop. (BLD)

Day 10
We drive east across the border to Oradea, Romania, to photograph Baroque churches on our way to the Carpathian Mountains. (BLD)

Day 11
This morning we photograph scenic Turda Gorge and by afternoon arrive in Székelyudvarhely. We’ll photograph brown bears from mountain blinds in the early evening. (BLD)

Day 12
We spend the day in the town of Székelyudvarhely, focusing on a 13th-century fortified church before we return this evening for another bear shoot. (BLD)

Day 13 (May 8)
Today we visit the Parajd Salt Mine on our way to Tirgu Mures Airport for our flight to Budapest and home.





Joseph Van Os Photo Safaris, Inc. P.O. Box 655, Vashon Island, Washington USA 98070
Phone: (206) 463-5383   Fax: (206) 463-5484    Email: info@photosafaris.com
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